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PMS symptoms usually start 7 to 10 days before your menstrual flow and may continue during your actual period, but it doesn’t mean you have to feel uncomfortable for two weeks.

Many women don’t know about the ways to balance your hormones during PMS and cope with the pain that comes along with it, including fatigue, cramps, bloating, skin breakouts and the inevitable emotional rollercoaster.

You can ease PMS symptoms in natural ways to ditch over-the-counter pain meds. It takes time to learn how to treat it, especially since everyone’s symptoms vary, but if you do, your period will be nothing to worry about.

Read on for five holistic ways to deal with PMS symptoms.

1. Eat the Right Foods

Food plays a huge part in your life and has a major impact on your health. What you put into your body will affect your mood, physical shape and mental health, especially when you’re menstruating.

Intake of plant foods and other healthy options will improve PMS symptoms. High-fiber foods are important for digestion and even more crucial as you ovulate because PMS can cause GI disruption.

Diet really is everything, so even though you may crave a burger and fries, stick to the foods your body needs.

2. Take Supplements

Progesterone cream can lower PMS symptoms if you start treatment after ovulation and continue until the day before your menstrual flow begins. PMS symptoms are caused by fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels in the body, and applying a topical progesterone cream to thin-skinned areas like the breasts, chest, neck and palms can help even those levels out. Make sure to buy a cream labeled “USP progesterone,” as it is the most effective progesterone cream for PMS symptom management.

During your time of month, exercise is probably the last thing you want to do. You’re already bloated, crampy and can’t imagine a run on the treadmill while you feel so miserable, but trust us. Put the chip bag down and take a trip to the gym to relieve yourself of the pain that comes with cramps.

Exercise helps in many ways. It increases your body’s blood flow, lowers stress and often makes you feel better about the way you look — let’s be real, being on your period will likely make you feel bad about your appearance, especially if break-outs accompany your hormone changes.

So hit the gym to speed up relief, then reward yourself with a nice hot bath that will soothe any remaining cramps.

4. Use Essential Oils

Essential oils have become popular for a number of illnesses. They’re also proven to affect people’s moods, muscle pain, PMS symptoms and more.

To reduce stress, tension and cramps, try a mix of ylang-ylang oil and lavender oil.

Peppermint oil is another great option to reduce pain. You can apply two to three drops of essential oil to your abdomen or the back of your neck, depending on which you choose to use.

5. Sleep

Sounds simple, right? But so many people don’t get enough. Lack of sleep affects every aspect of life more than most people realize. During PMS, the right amount of sleep will not only do your body wonders but also keep your hormones balanced. Get a good night’s sleep, and feel your symptoms decrease naturally.

Sleeping in the fetal position is even believed to help with cramps and other pain. Make sure you keep your bedroom cool — when your hormones shift, your core temperature changes.

Take control of your period, and stop letting it interrupt your life. With so many natural remedies out there, you don’t have to experience pain or discomfort. Start with the most simple medicines of all — sleep and a healthy diet.

Don’t forget to exercise, even if it’s the last thing you want to do. As for supplements and essential oils — try them out. They may make all the difference for you, and you won’t have to worry about putting painkillers into your body. After all, your body is your temple.

Childbirth. Feminism. Dresses with pockets. There are so many joys that come with being a woman. Yet, once a month, it’s easy not to feel that way. Our periods can make us achy, tired, emotional and bloated — all feelings that are even worse if we don’t have a tried-and-true feminine hygiene product to help us through the week.

If you have yet to decide whether you prefer tampons or pads, don’t worry: There are pros and cons to each option, and depending on your lifestyle, one could suit you much more than the other. Of course, it’s up to you to make that call, but we want to help.

Here are some of the major pros and cons of each option for you to consider before choosing the best one for you.

Tampon Pros

Pros and Cons of Tampons vs Pads

Because you’ll insert your tampon directly into your vagina, it will absorb your period from the inside. As such, you won’t feel any moisture from your menstruation, which you might be able to feel with pads, as they catch your flow on the outside.

The tampon’s position also makes it hard to feel as you go about your day. Again, this is especially great news if you’re super-active. You can work out to your heart’s content without feeling your tampon or moving it out of place, as you would likely do with a pad.

Wearing tampons gives you a lot more freedom as to the undies you can wear during your period, and, therefore, the clothes you can wear, too. With a pad, you need a full brief or boyshort so the adhesive has something to cling to.

Pad Pros

Pros and Cons of Tampons vs Pads

Pads are the safer option for overnight or long-term wear. So, if you plan to catch up on Z’s or otherwise fear you might not be able to change your tampon for a while, grab a pad instead.

Because pads adhere right to your underwear, they’re a great way to ensure you don’t suffer any period stains. Not only will this preserve your undies, but your pants, too — some women prefer to have this added layer of protection.

You’ll also find pads are easy and comfortable to use. For beginners, the insertion required to wear a tampon can feel uncomfortable or hard to figure out. All you have to do is stick your pad into your underwear and you’re protected.

Tampon Cons

Pros and Cons of Tampons vs Pads

Tampons come in a range of different sizes and absorbencies, which can make it difficult to decide which one is best suited to your period, especially if you’re a beginner. This is made even more difficult for beginners who may not be comfortable with their flow yet by the fact that it can be challenging to tell if your tampon is reaching its limit.Not to worry though — trial and error will help you figure it out over time, and you can always start off by also wearing a pantyliner as backup protection.

Beginners may also find it difficult to insert tampons properly at first. And, if you place a tampon even slightly incorrectly, it may feel uncomfortable. Practice makes perfect, but it may put you off from tampon use at first.

Because tampons are inside your body, they can be easy to forget about. That may seem like a pro, but leaving a tampon in for too long can be dangerous. Toxic shock syndrome is a life-threatening side effect of doing so. This bacterial infection most often occurs in menstruating women, although you can avoid it by remembering to change your tampon every four to eight hours.

Pad Cons

Pros and Cons of Tampons vs Pads

A pad can feel bulky and diaper-esque, especially if you have a heavy period. And, if you want to rock leggings or a form-fitting skirt, it might be possible to see the lines of your pads through the fabric.

Active women might find it uncomfortable to move around in pads, and the pad may shift if you’re very active. You don’t want to give up on your exercise, either, because it can be really helpful in soothing your aches and pains during your period. On top of that, a pad’s liquid-absorbing material means it’s impossible to wear in water, so you’ll have to use an alternative if you plan to go for a swim.

Carrying a pad to and from the bathroom isn’t subtle. You should never feel ashamed about your period, of course, but some people prefer to walk to the bathroom without cluing everyone in as to what they’re doing. Many women find it easier to do so with slimmer, pocket-sized tampons.

The choice is up to you!

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which form of protection is best for you. There are alternatives like menstrual cups to look into as well, although they’re not as popular due to less of an ease of use. But try out your options, or even try using a combination of tampons and pads. In the end, you’re sure to come up with a way to comfortably conquer your next period — and there’s no better result than that.

Have you subscribed to Ellebox yet? If not, you are seriously missing out! Every month, the Ellebox team sends you a customized selection of 20 pads and tampons plus tea, chocolate sweets, and two all-natural and amazing self-care goodies for you.

Ellebox is perfect for girls that love healthy, natural and organic foods and skincare. I’ve discovered so many new skincare products and delicious healthy snacks.

Shea and cocoa butter provide essential nutrients for healthy skin and long-lasting moisture. This nourishing combo helps restore elasticity and protect skin. Great for daily use as a face lotion, for soothing dry hands or feet and also for buttering up pregnant bellies! Petroleum and paraben-free and you won’t find any synthetic fragrances here!

I love and hate this product. LOVE because this lotion is delicious caramel scented treat for your skin. It absorbs quickly and leaves a silky smooth feeling without any greasy feeling. It is a lovely lotion for the winter season.

I dislike this product because it’s advertised as a face lotion. I wouldn’t recommend this for your face. Shea and cocoa butters are very heavy moisturizers and if you have comedogenic skin or skin prone to acne and breakouts – avoid putting this on your face. It has a delicious scent but as all skincare junkies know… scented products do not belong on your face especially if you have sensitive skin.

I’m also not sure if the website has listed all the ingredients. It has a lovely caramel scent but doesn’t list any added fragrances.

Clear your head and get refreshed with this cooling, energizing spray. This is our flagship product that started the company. Many faces have been awakened!

This essential oil spray energizes your senses and gives you a refreshing feeling. It is not a skincare product.

When I first tried this, I thought that it smelled like toothpaste – yuck. I tried it again in the morning and it was actually quite nice – it smelled less like toothpaste and I could smell more of the essential oils. I’m not in love with this product because I can’t see myself using an essential oil spray every day. This is a pass for me but may be a favourite for you.

Essential Oil Highlights
Spearmint – fresh, sweet and used for an uplifting effect
Eucalyptus – cooling, cleansing and great for the respiratory system
Lavender – balancing, healing and can reduce emotional tension
Lemon – bright, fresh and helps to clear the mind

Organic Honey Moon Tea from Tea Sparrow

Straight from the Zhejaing province in China, this great reinvention of the green tea formula is certain to seduce your senses with the addition of the sweet flavour of passion fruit.

The first thing I noticed about this tea was the overwhelming sweet aroma of blackcurrant! I love blackcurrant and I think it needs to be a more popular flavour. It also has cherry and raspberry aroma but I don’t really smell it.

It tastes like traditional bitter Chinese green tea when brewed but with a light sweet aroma. If you love bitter teas, you will love this! It’s one of my favourite things from this month’s Ellebox.

Made from certified organic cotton, these pads and tampons are better for your health and the environment. Organic cotton menstrual hygiene products are great for those with sensitivity and is also what sets Ellebox apart from other time of the month subscription boxes.

Many women with sensitive skin prefer cotton pads because they are softer, more breathable, and less irritating than pads with plastics like Always and U By Kotex

Ellebox usually ships me all regular absorbency tampons but they shipped me only medium absorbency tampons again. I would love if they shipped me a mix bundle next time.

December Ellebox Review

December Ellebox Review - Unbox with me! December Ellebox Review & Photos Ellebox is a premium time of the month subscription box delivering organic cotton pads and tampons along with hand curated comfort and self care items to your door step. You can choose from 2 options: $29.99 - Ellebox Comfort Box: Their most popular subscription box delivers organic cotton pads, tampons, and healthy self-care treats $10.99 - Ellebox Essentials Box: Get a customized box of 16 organic cotton pads/tampon delivered to your door every month Get Your First Ellebox for 50% off! Code: HALFOFF Have you subscribed to Ellebox&hellip;

Review Overview

Overall

70

Overall

Summary : Lovely all natural and organic self-care products, pads, and tampons plus I've discovered a new favourite tea. Points off this month because the products were not my favourite but if you love essential oils, then December's box will be a real treat for you!

70

Get your Ellebox 50% Off:

This blog post contains affiliate links. Purchasing from our affiliate links supports The Period Blog. Any compensation received will never influence the reviews, opinions, content, topics or posts made in this blog.

Have you subscribed to Ellebox yet? If not, you are seriously missing out! Every month, the Ellebox team sends you a customized selection of 20 pads and tampons plus tea, chocolate sweets, and two all-natural and amazing self-care goodies for you.

Ellebox is perfect for girls that love healthy, natural and organic foods and skincare. I’ve discovered so many new skincare products and delicious healthy snacks.

Delivers a brightening burst of antioxidants while banishing toxins and blemishes. Charcoal & Matcha are the hottest new power couple. Charcoal cleans out and shrinks your pores, helps manage oily skin, and soothes irritation, and Matcha is detoxifying, antioxidant packed, and mood boosting. Talk about a dream team!

I’ve loved the Om Organics brand ever since I discovered their line of skincare in my May Ellebox. I was so excited to get not one but TWO skincare products from them!

This mask is perfect for those PMS acne breakouts and is packed with antioxidants. Although this mask is meant for oily and breakout prone skin, I found that it worked really well for my normal-dry skin too. Unlike a traditional clay mask that dries on your face, this make does not dry and just sits on your face while absorbing all your excess face oils, leaving your face feeling moist and plump!

This spot treatment comes in an eyedropper bottle and is packed with ingredients to reduce acne, repair your skin, and minimize scarring. I haven’t had a chance to use this yet since I haven’t had any acne breakouts (thankfully) but I’ll be keeping this in my arsenal of skincare for now!

Cleanse Wellness Tea from Amoda Tea

Cleanse tea is a nourishing, restorative tonic that helps to renew your body from the inside. A detoxifying blend of organic herbs that work together to gently remove toxins while restoring your body’s ability to properly absorb nutrients – an essential combo! Feel more energetic, achieve clear glowing skin, improve metabolism and strengthen overall health. This is not a quick fix, laxative-based tea. This is a gentle restorative tea with red clover, chamomile, dandelion root, marshmallow root, ginger, nettle, goji berries and licorice.

This tea is very interesting because it includes a special ingredient that is great for relieving PMS symptoms: Dandelion Root. Women who experience severe PMS symptoms may find drinking dandelion root tea helps with bloating, water retention, swollen breasts, muscle spasms, acne, anemia and inflammation.

Finally the hot summer months are over and Ellebox has started to ship chocolate again! This chocolate will satisfy your deepest chocolate cravings. The cute piggy shaped chocolate melts in your mouth and is so delicious! I only wish they shipped me more…

Made from certified organic cotton, these pads and tampons are better for your health and the environment. Organic cotton menstrual hygiene products are great for those with sensitivity and is also what sets Ellebox apart from other time of the month subscription boxes.

If you normally use non cotton pads like Always and U By Kotex, you will find that cotton pads are softer, more breathable, and more comfortable if you have sensitive skin.

Ellebox usually ships me all regular absorbency tampons but they shipped me only medium absorbency tampons. I would love if they shipped me a mix bundle next time.

November Ellebox Review

November Ellebox Review - Unbox with me! Ellebox is a premium time of the month subscription box delivering organic cotton pads and tampons along with hand curated comfort and self care items to your door step. You can choose from 2 options: $29.99 - Ellebox Comfort Box: Their most popular subscription box delivers organic cotton pads, tampons, and healthy self-care treats $10.99 - Ellebox Essentials Box: Get a customized box of 16 organic cotton pads/tampon delivered to your door every month Have you subscribed to Ellebox yet? If not, you are seriously missing out! Every month, the Ellebox team sends&hellip;

Review Overview

Overall

90

Summary : November's Ellebox delivered delicious chocolate, lots of great skincare for PMS breakouts and dandelion root tea to help relieve PMS symptoms. I usually get all regular absorbency tampons but this time all my tampons were medium absorbency. Would love if they kept it consistent or sent me a mix bundle.

90

Get your Ellebox 50% Off:

This blog post contains affiliate links. Purchasing from our affiliate links supports The Period Blog. Any compensation received will never influence the reviews, opinions, content, topics or posts made in this blog.

Have you subscribed to Ellebox yet? If not, you are seriously missing out! Every month, the Ellebox team sends you a customized selection of 20 pads and tampons plus tea, chocolate sweets, and two all-natural and amazing self-care goodies for you.

Ellebox is perfect for girls that love healthy and natural products. It’s a great way to discover new skincare products that really work and delicious healthy snacks.

This full size body butter is part of BelláPierre Cosmetics’s line of Precious Diamonds Skincare Collection. It claims to exfoliate the skin with ultra-fine diamond powder and provides a tightening effect with vitamins A and E, green tea extracts, and active peptides.

The body butter absorbs quickly and leaves a light floral scent. It was very moisturizing and the full size tub is sure to last you through the dry winter months. I was very impressed by this product because it features a very long list of rich and nourishing ingredients for your skin that are scientifically proven to reveal smoother and more youthful looking skin. Just to list a few, this body butter includes Vitamin E, Vitamin A, and all these lovely oils: safflower seed, sunflower, olive and tamanu)
So it really bothers and disappoints me that they have added such a gimmicky ingredient – diamond powder. While they claim the diamond powder will physically exfoliate the skin, you can’t feel any of the diamond powder so there is no physical exfoliating going on and there is no scientific evidence that topical application of diamond has any benefits for your skin! I’m a skincare junkie and it always bothers me when companies try to market their products in such a gimmicky way especially when this product is jam packed with such rich and nourishing ingredients for your skin.

Mixed with grapefruit and citrus essential oils, these bath salts claim to not only soothe your aching muscles, the oils are also great for your skin. When I opened my Ellebox, I could already smell these bath salts. It smells sweet and citrusy. Depending on my much you like to put in your bath, you will get 1-2 baths out of this mini bottle.

Organic Simply Beautiful Rooibos Tea – Tea by Tea Sparrow

“Could this tea be any more packed with flavor? Beautifully blended in-house, this tea is a full-bodied mouthful of floral, spice, and deliciousness. Just a spot of honey rounts out the lavender flowers”

You can really smell the fennel and spices in this tea. I’ve come to learn that most Tea Sparrow teas I’ve received from my Elleboxes lean more on the sweet side and not strong and bitter. I love that the description always has tips on make the tea the bring out the best flavours.

Hazelnut – Nomz Energy Bites – $3.50 Value

Coated in freshly crushed hazelnuts, this delicious and healthy cocoa treat is sure to satisfy any chocolate craving.

While I actually really didn’t like this treat when I first saw them in my box (because my sweet tooth prefers pure sugar), now that I’m actually on my period… OMG these hazelnut chocolately bites are to die for!!! It is sweet, nutty, chocolatey, and best of all, it is 100% organic, vegan, gluten free, and has no refined sugars.

Made from certified organic cotton, these pads are better for your health and the environment. Organic cotton menstrual hygiene products are great for those with sensitivity and is also what sets Ellebox apart from other time of the month subscription boxes.

If you normally use non cotton pads like Always and U By Kotex, you will find that cotton pads are softer, more breathable, and more comfortable if you have sensitive skin.

Sign up to Ellebox and get 30% off with coupon code: THEPERIODBLOG Ellebox is a premium time of the month subscription box delivering organic cotton pads and tampons along with hand curated comfort and self care items to your door step. You can choose from 2 options: $29.99 $20.99 with code THEPERIODBLOG - Ellebox Comfort Box: Their most popular subscription box delivers organic cotton pads, tampons, and healthy self-care treats $10.99 $7.69 with code THEPERIODBLOG - Ellebox Essentials Box: Get a customized box of 16 organic cotton pads/tampon delivered to your door every month Have you subscribed to Ellebox yet?&hellip;

Review Overview

Overall

90

Summary : My monthly Ellebox delivery makes my period so convenient! Love the healthy snacks and bath salts. The body butter is jam packed with a long list of high quality, rich and nourishing ingredients for your skin but I'm taking points off since the floral scent is not my favourite.

90

This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by ElleBox. Any compensation received will never influence the reviews, opinions, content, topics or posts made in this blog.

Ellebox is a premium time of the month subscription box delivering organic cotton pads and tampons along with hand curated comfort and self care items to your door step.

Have you subscribed to Ellebox yet? If not, you are seriously missing out! Every month, the Ellebox team sends you a customized selection of 20 pads and tampons plus tea, chocolate sweets, and two all-natural and amazing self-care goodies for you.

Ellebox is perfect for girls that love healthy and natural products. It’s a great way to discover new skincare products that really work and delicious healthy snacks.

Ellebox September Unboxing

This month’s Ellebox was packed with so many goodies! It came with not two but four self-care items along with my supply of organic cotton pads and tampons from Natracare and Organyc.

Lather is bath and skin care company that prides itself with high quality products made with essential oils, botanical extracts and free from sulfates & parabens, synthetic colors, phthalates, and mineral oils. The best part is that all their products are cruelty free!

Bamboo Lemongrass Foaming Body Scrub – This super fine scrub does an excellent job getting rid of dead flaky skin with exfoliating bamboo powder that leaves you with super soft and clean skin. This scrub has an excellent formulation – it easily lathers to a nice foam and didn’t settle or separate in the tub like other scrubs.

Mangosteen and Green Tea Body Wash – This gentle body wash has a tropical fruity scent and is packed with antioxidant rich ingredients that are great for skin including mangosteen, green tea, and rice bran oil. It left my skin feeling clean and refreshed. I only wish the bottle was bigger because I finished mine in a week!

Click to enlarge

Andalou Naturals

Founded by the creators of Alba Botanica, Andalou Naturals is a natural skincare and beauty brand made with ingredients that are Non-GMO Project verified, gluten free verified, certified organic, derived from nature, vegan, sustainably sourced, fair trade ingredients, and cruelty free!

Instant Lift & Firm Hydro Serum Facial Sheet Mask
If you’re a skincare junkie, you know that sheet masks are a highly effective way for your skin to soak in serums. Enriched with fruit stem cell complex and resveratrol Q10, this mask is instantly hydrates and replenishes, plumping up your skin for a more lifted, firmer appearance and visibly smooth and rejuvenated complexion.

Instant Clarity Face Mask
Clay masks are excellent for not only those with oily skin but all skin types – clay is an excellent skincare ingredient for clearing away impurities and excess oils. This mask also has added argan oil and a fruit stem cell complex to nourish the skin and stimulate circulation for a clean and clear complexion – perfect for those PMS pimples!

Tea by Tea Sparrow – Lemon Sherbert

Hot tea for the summer??? Nope! This month’s tea is actually a cold-brew tea! Just brew it like hot tea but instead of boiling water, put your brew in cold water and refrigerate for 5 hours for a delicious ice tea.

Emmy’s Organic Coconut Cookie Dark Cacao

Made from fair trade coconut power and cold pressed coconut oil, this healthy snack is both sweet and healthy. This little cookie is 100 calories and is organic, gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, and grain-free! Of course my sweet tooth self munched on this as soon as I opened my Ellebox… lol

Natracare Pads & Organyc Tampons

Made from certified organic cotton, these pads are better for your health and the environment. Organic cotton menstrual hygiene products are great for those with sensitivity and is also what sets Ellebox apart from other time of the month subscription boxes.

Sign up to Ellebox and get 30% off with coupon code: THEPERIODBLOG Ellebox is a premium time of the month subscription box delivering organic cotton pads and tampons along with hand curated comfort and self care items to your door step. Have you subscribed to Ellebox yet? If not, you are seriously missing out! Every month, the Ellebox team sends you a customized selection of 20 pads and tampons plus tea, chocolate sweets, and two all-natural and amazing self-care goodies for you. Ellebox is perfect for girls that love healthy and natural products. It's a great way to discover new&hellip;

Review Overview

Overall

100

Summary : September's Ellebox features 4 self-care items that are all natural, organic, gluten-free, vegan and cruelty free! Tropical fruity scents, high quality skin care ingredients, and a chocolaty treat makes this month's Ellebox perfect to end the summer season.

100

This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by ElleBox. Any compensation received will never influence the reviews, opinions, content, topics or posts made in this blog.

“Raising a tween, parenting with an ex and being not just a mom are some of my life experiences.”

Who are you?

Hi, I am Tiffany, author of the blog Unrehearsed. I am a married mom of two, my son is 21 and is in college, my daughter is 11, starting middle school this fall.

My day job is a quality analyst for a healthcare organization. I am completely addicted to pretty things like journals and planners and am working on being more patient and living in the moment.

What inspired you to start your blog?

Unrehearsed was born from my failed blog, Gladiator in Heels. The first blog was my attempt to be the Pinterest perfect mom. The sad part about it was that I am just an ok cook, I lack patience when it comes to certain crafts, I can’t really sew and my kids are older!

Before I shut down the first blog, I noticed that there were certain blog posts that people seemed to enjoy and those were the ones about tween girls, co-parenting and self-care.

I also noticed very few blogs or websites that focus on parenting older kids. It’s funny because littles (babies and toddlers) grow up at some point and those parents needs some type of resource to deal with the changes.

Research shows that parenting tweens is more stressful than parenting babies (not trying to continue the moms wars but there are proven facts)! All of this helped me to refocus and start a new blog based on my life experiences (parenting tween girls, parenting with an ex and being not just a mom).

A post shared by Tiffany Benyacko (@unrehearsedtiff) on May 22, 2017 at 5:47pm PDT

What was your experience like when you first started your period? Did anyone give you “the talk”?

What “talk”, lol? One thing I am very transparent about on the blog is the lack of talking my parents and I did when I was growing up.

I remember being on the playground in 6th grade and I remember feeling something weird “down below”… I had a feeling of what was happening. I remember taking my jacket and wrapping it around my waist. So glad I did that because I had stained my pants.

I remember feeling so embarrassed, not sure if anyone saw but still the thought of my pants being stained left a sense of horror in my mind.

I didn’t have a touchy, feely mom, so she basically told me about pads and that was “the talk”. I had heard some talk about being able to get pregnant once you started your period. I heard about PMS and cramps. These weren’t topics my mom and I had but just chatter I heard from other kids and television.

I wasn’t sure of what questions to ask my mom and she didn’t really have an “open door” policy.

How did you introduce periods to your daughter?

There were so many other things I wanted to besides talk to my daughter about periods. I honestly had to pump myself up for “the talk”. I knew that I needed to handle it differently from how my mom did and thankfully found a pretty good entrance.

One day, we were in a discount store and she wandered over to the book section. There was a cute little pink book about a girl’s developing body. She was intrigued by the colors and soon we were at the checkout counter. Once we got home, she could not tear herself away from the book. As she read, she started to ask me questions.

This little book helped with my introduction about periods. I never wanted to pressure my daughter in talking about periods, it was nice for the conversations to start on her terms.

Do you have any parenting tips to share to make the talk a more comfortable experience for both parent and daughter?

Periods…eewwwww!!! That’s probably the sentence that runs through both a mom and daughter’s head. It can be an overwhelming topic but it’s more bearable if the conversations are bite-sized. I think it helps to be honest about your experiences when you were her age.

While you’re on your Target runs, take a stroll over to the feminine hygiene aisle. Talk to her about the different products and how to use them. Having these open conversations helps you to let your guard down and show her that you are human and a girl, too.

While it can be scary, embarrassing and worrisome, it helps to feel those emotions for the good of your daughter. She needs to see you being vulnerable, admitting your fears and how you dealt with them.

What’s your favorite way to relax and practice self care?

I’m an introvert so completely zoning out is self-care for me! But having a daughter who is an extrovert does not allow for many zone out moments.

Many women struggle with self-care because there just simply isn’t enough time. Self-care can simply be staying in the shower for an extra 5 minutes. 80s music (the decade of the best music) relaxes me. Working out helps, along with regular date nights with my husband. Writing is also therapeutic, it gives me the space to brain dump my life experiences while encouraging and equipping others who may have some of the same issues.

Retail therapy has an amazingly relaxing effect on me! Self care should be about things that make you happy.

Ellebox is a premium time of the month subscription box delivering organic cotton pads and tampons along with hand curated comfort and self care items to your door step.

This month’s Ellebox is my favourite one so far! The feature company is Chéri Arôme, a Canadian beauty company that makes all natural handmade beauty and skincare products.

Have you subscribed to Ellebox yet? If not, you are seriously missing out! I swear that the Ellebox team must be bigger skincare junkies than I am because every month they are delivering best natural skincare products that are made with scientifically proven ingredients that are excellent for your skin.

Made from premium ingredients, this lotion is antioxidant rich with intensive moisturizing benefits and dries to a beautiful velvety finish. Let’s take a closer look at the active ingredients:

Sea buckthorn oil is a berry extract with healing an rejuvenating effects on the skin making it an excellent lotion for the summer months when our skin really takes a hit from the UV rays.

Rosehip oil is a plant-based oil and a rich source of antioxidants and skin-beneficial fatty acids that are known to correct dark spots and hydrate dry, itchy skin, all while reducing scars and fine lines.

Tsubaki oil also known as camellia oil offers potent hydration and anti-aging benefits that has long been popular among Japanese women. It has high amounts of omega 9 fatty acid, as well as vitamins A, B, D and E.

Chéri Arôme – Pink Clay Body Polish

Looking at this polish I was thinking that this is likely a sugar scrub or a salt scrub but the ingredients didn’t list sugar or salt and I was really curious. Since this is an all natural product, I decided to taste it… It’s a sugar scrub :)!

Made from premium sun dried pink clay from Australia, this body polish provides hydration to the skin while helping improve skin texture and fine lines.

Begin with wet skin in the shower—warm-to-hot water is ideal to soften the skin. Allow the shower to run for 5-10 minutes and let the warm water soften the skin and prepare for exfoliation. Pause the running water while you exfoliate. Apply the cream and scrub in a circular motion. Rinse and tap dry with towel.

Chéri Arôme – Lip Tint Moisturizer in Rum Raisin

Super moisturizing and buttery smooth. Not greasy and surprisingly not waxy either. The colour looks dark in the tube but when worn it is actually quite flattering. It’s a nice berry colour and not too dark so I think this would be nice on all skin tones.

Smart Sweets – Seriously Sour Gummy Bears

No joke these are seriously sour!!! Sour candies are my weak spot and luckily for me, these are HEALTHY candies! Yes healthy and candy can be in the same sentence. Each bag packs a punch with 24 grams of fibre and has only 2 grams of sugar. Chocolate gets melty in the summer so it is so smart Ellebox decided to ship these guilt-free healthy sweets.

Natracare Pads & Organyc Tampons

Made from certified organic cotton, these pads are better for your health and the environment. Organic cotton menstrual hygiene products are great for those with sensitivity and is also what sets Ellebox apart from other time of the month subscription boxes.

Tea Sparrow – Quince Green Tea

When I first smelled this green tea, I was pleasantly surprised by how sweet it smelled and thought that this would be perfect with some honey to bring out the sweet aromas. This is actually one of Tea Sparrow’s top rated iced green teas!

Sign up and get 30% off with coupon code: THEPERIODBLOG Ellebox is a premium time of the month subscription box delivering organic cotton pads and tampons along with hand curated comfort and self care items to your door step. This month's Ellebox is my favourite one so far! The feature company is Chéri Arôme, a Canadian beauty company that makes all natural handmade beauty and skincare products. Have you subscribed to Ellebox yet? If not, you are seriously missing out! I swear that the Ellebox team must be bigger skincare junkies than I am because every month they are delivering&hellip;

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December Ellebox Review – Unbox with me! December Ellebox Review & Photos Ellebox is a premium time of the month subscription box delivering organic cotton pads and tampons along with hand curated comfort and self care items to your door step. You can choose from 2 options: $29.99 – Ellebox Comfort Box: Their most popular …